Winners to be announced soon in Why Sports Matters contest

Thanks to all who sent me entries in the "Why Sports Matters" contest. I got lots of entries and have had a few unexpected work assignments lately, so my judging has fallen behind. I originally wrote that I would be announcing winners on Wednesday, March 18th. That won't happen, but I will announce the winners in the near future in this same space and also publish them. Thank you for your patience, and in the meantime enjoy the NCAA tournament! (UPDATE: All winners were published in the newspapers of April 12 and April 19th and can also be found at this link.

On Bob McKillop, Dean Smith, Bill O'Reilly and a strange New York cabbie

NEW YORK -- I am in the Big Apple about to watch Davidson in the Atlantic 10 tournament and just wanted to note a couple of things:

1) My story on Bob McKillop and the masterpiece he has painted with the Davidson Wildcats can be found here. One random fact I didn't know about McKillop until we did the interview for this story: he went to high school in New York with Bill O'Reilly, now a celebrity TV host for Fox News. McKillop said O'Reilly's personality has basically not changed at all from then until now.

2) Mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 17 from 11 am to 1 pm. At that time, The Observer is going to have a book launch for our new book celebrating Dean Smith's life. "Dean Smith" More than a Coach" is a 128-page book containing photos and stories from 50 years of The Observer's coverage of the man who was coach of UNC from 1961-97 and who passed away in February. Ron Green Sr., Ron Green Jr. and myself -- who all contributed stories to the book -- will all be there in The Observer's lobby (600 South Tryon Street) for those two hours to sign books and chat with UNC fans. The book is $14.95 and a portion of the proceeds for all books sold that day will be donated to the Dean E. Smith Opening Doors Fund at UNC.

3) If you entered my writing contest in honor of this blog hitting the 5 million mark, thanks so much. I got a lot of great entries and am sorting through them all. Winners will be announced by or before Wednesday, March. 18th.

4) OK, quick New York story. I love New York, but sometimes you just have to shake your head at it. I arrived at LaGuardia Airport Thursday and needed a ride to Manhattan. Hopped in a cab. The driver drove like most New York cabbies do -- badly, in other words -- but I didn't notice too much because it was so common. However, he made the bad mistake of cutting across four lanes of traffic with no turn signal in front of one of NYPD's finest.

So here came the blue lights, and the siren, and the cab had to pull over. You better believe he used the turn signal that time. The policeman came to the car, got the cabbie's license and registration, had him roll down the back window and apologized to me like this: "Sorry for the delay sir, but this man has your life in his hands, and he's being very careless with it." Ten minutes later, the cabbie had a ticket. "I'm giving you one, but you should get four," the cop grumbled.

And here's the best part: For those 10 minutes while we were stopped in that yellow cab on the side of the road, both of us annoyed for different reasons, the cabbie never apologized for our delay. Never spoke a word, in fact. But, until I noticed and pointed it out, he kept the meter running.

On Ginn return, Davidson Speedo guy and Bilas prediction on Kentucky

3 notes on a Monday:

1) I applaud the Panthers for getting Ted Ginn Jr. back after his disappointing year in Arizona. Ginn gives the Panthers another speed threat and had a great knack in 2013 for the big play at the right time (including this TD in 2013 against New England). I thought the Panthers never should have let him go -- they struggled constantly with getting the ball deep in 2014 without him -- but certainly he will be more affordable now. This is a good move, as was the signing of tackle Michael "Blind Side" Oher. Both are affordable veteran players worth the risk. The Panthers are off to a solid start in free agency, but many questions remain.

2) In case you missed this, Davidson had a swimmer named Luke Burton Thursday night who stripped down to a Tuxedo-themed Speedo -- he calls it a "tux-pedo" -- and made a lot of people laugh with his antics while VCU was shooting free throws until he got kicked out of the game (won by Davidson, 82-55 -- the Wildcats are, incredibly enough, Atlantic 10 regular-season champs). My original video of Luke Burton's dance has now climbed to No.5 on the all-time Observer list of most-clicked videos, and Burton's hilarious interview explaining his thinking after he got kicked out is quickly catching up to the original one in hits. You can see them both by clicking here -- the shorter video is at the bottom, and the longer one at the top.

3) I talked to Charlotte resident and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas for a couple of stories last week, including this one on the delights of March Madness. While we were on the phone I asked Bilas if he thought Kentucky would go 40-0, winning both the SEC title and the national championship. He said he thought the Wildcats would, but said while they were unbeaten, they were not unbeatable.

Said Bilas of Kentucky: "If they finish the year undefeated and win the national championship, they will be considered one of the all-time great teams and it will be one of all-time great accomplishments.if they finish the year undefeated and win the national championship, they will be considered one of the all-time great teams and it will be one of all-time great accomplishments.

"They absolutely can. I think they will. They're unbeaten. I'm not one of those who think they are unbeatable. They can be beaten. I look at them kind of like UNLV in 1991. they are the best team. that doesn't mean they are going to win, but they are the best team.

"If this were the NBA and a 7-game playoff series, they would not have to worry. But it's not, and they are subject to being beaten."

Greg Olsen gets paid first? Well, OK....

The Panthers seemed to skip a few people in line today, signing Greg Olsen to a three-year extension that will keep him with the team until 2018.

Olsen's contract wasn't up until after this season, so it's a little surprising to me that he was the player the Panther paid first -- only because there are more pressing deadlines. But it must have been the most doable contract on their plate, for Olsen has made no secret of wanting to stay and God knows the Panthers need him. He and Wesley Walls are the two best tight ends Carolina has ever had, and Olsen's rapport with Cam Newton helped him make his first Pro Bowl in 2014. Olsen is also such a high-character guy that it's hard to measure, although I tried in this column from last September.

Sometimes, we talk so much about problems with the local teams we forget about the solutions that are already there and need to stay there. Olsen, Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly, Cam Newton -- all those men need to get paid, too. And, of course, OT, WR and secondary problems must be addressed.

So good for Olsen. He absolutely deserved this contract. Man, the guy made his first Pro Bowl (at least one year too late) and then immediately scored two touchdowns in it.

But this was just a warmup for what must be to come.

5 million views for Scott Says blog -- so enter our contest and win a book

The online version of the "Scott Says" blog has existed since 2008, and I am pleased to report that the blog recently surpassed five million page views for its lifetime.

To celebrate, we are going to have a contest. We are going to give away five books -- one for every million page views -- as a small token of appreciation to all the loyal readers who helped the blog reach this landmark.

This is your chance to write something sports-related that will appear on this blog and in the newspaper. All you have to do is answer one question, and answer it in 100 WORDS OR LESS. The question is:

WHY DO SPORTS MATTER TO YOU?

I am looking for personal memories here more than big-picture ideas. Specifics, not generalities. And only 100 words or less, please! More than that and I will certainly read it, but you won't be eligible for the giveaway. There is a limit of one entry per person.

You can submit these via email to me at sfowler@charlotteobserver.com. Also send along your name, hometown and phone number.

I will pick three winners from those entries, and those three folks can choose to receive either a persnalized and signed copy of either The Observer's just-published, celebratory book on the life and career of Dean Smith or of my most recent Carolina Panthers book. Those three winners will also have their entries appear on this blog and in the newspaper at some point.

Don't feel like writing anything?

I can't blame you -- sometimes I don't feel like writing anything, either. In that case, just enter the contest without writing anything. Just by sending me your name, hometown and phone number via email at sfowler@charlotteobserver.com. I will have a random drawing for the last two books between those "non-writing" entries.

The deadline to submit your entry -- whether you choose to answer the question or not, and remember, just one entry per person -- is Sunday, March 8th. I will announce the winners by or before Wednesday, March 18th. Good luck, and thank you again for your help in getting this blog to the 5 million mark. (Note to stat junkies: Of the nearly 1,800 blog entries I have posted here over the years, by far the most popular was this one in Jan.2012, which exclusively revealed the details of the Panthers' new logo. Of the 5,000,000 page views, that blog post was responsible for about 120,000 of them.)

If you are one of the five winners, you can choose from either of these books:

What next for Panthers after correctly parting with DeAngelo, Bell?

Let us not get overly emotional about the release of Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams. It was absolutely the right thing to do.

Williams was no longer an effective NFL running back. He was one for a long time, but by the end of 2014 I thought he was the fourth-best running back on the roster.

As I wrote back in January, this should be one of the easiest decisions the Panthers make the entire offseason. While I thought the Panthers should have kept Steve Smith around one more year instead of release him before the 2014 season, if anything I think they kept Williams around one year too long. Certainly, he needed to be released by now. I am sorry he doesn't feel like the Panthers supported him when his mother died, but let's not let that cloud the on-field issues.

This column I wrote back in January listed seven things I thought the Panthers ought to do in the offseason. They have now accomplished the first two on my list -- release Williams and don't bring back left tackle Byron Bell, who was simply not good enough last year.

Here are the other five in the list and an update as to where the Panthers stand with each:

1. Sign a tackle – and then draft another. I think the Panthers will do both of these things. My biggest problem with what Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman didn’t do in the 2014 offseason had to do with him trying to get by cheaply at both tackle spots. That was a mistake.

2. Don't completely ignore the dollar store. Gettleman said in January: “Last year we were shopping in the dollar store. This year we’ll be able to move up in class a little bit.”

That’s fine, but the dollar store is a great place to upgrade the mostly awful special-teams coverage and return units. Hello Ted Ginn Jr.?If he comes at a reasonable price, I would like to see it -- as would Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert.

All I'm saying is @TedGinnJr_19 back in carolina wld be awesome!!!

— Mike Tolbert (@miketolbert35) February 24, 2015

3. Stay far away from Greg Hardy. I think the Panthers will ultimately do this even though the charges against Hardy were dismissed. To me, the risk doesn't line up with the reward.

4. Make inroads with Cam. The Panthers are doing this, having reopened negotiations on a contract extension with Cam Newton.

5. Keep more continuity. Late in 2014, the Panthers had 16 new players among the 24 key positions on offense and defense (I am counting the third receiver and the nickel cornerback as starters, too). Only eight players were the same from 2013.

That's too much turnover -- way too much -- for a team that won 12 games in 2013.

Williams and Bell? They were properly jettisoned. But this team does not need a major overhaul. Last year's overhaul backfired to some extent, and I think Gettleman knows that. This team needs to have far more continuity. As for DeAngelo, he will leave as the team's leading rusher, and he will be missed.

“@DeAngeloRB: 9 years is a long time. it's been a great run..It's been a pleasure my brother! You will be missed! Wait we're neighbors. Lol

— Thomas Davis (@TD58SDTM) February 24, 2015

Time for Charlotte Motor Speedway to put SAFER walls everywhere

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In the wake of the accident that kept Kyle Busch out of the Daytona 500 Sunday, Charlotte Motor Speedway needs to find a way to quickly place soft walls all around the inside and outside of its 1.5-mile track before its series of big races in May.

Like almost all the tracks in the top three NASCAR series, CMS has the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers in a lot of the spots that drivers hit most often -- like the turns -- but not everywhere.

Texted Scott Cooper, a spokesman for the Charlotte track, in response to my question about where the SAFER walls were at CMS: "I don't know the percentage [of walls covered with SAFER Barriers at CMS]. We have some on inside walls as well as [the] majority of outside."

That's not enough. We saw that Saturday night.

Charlotte should learn from Daytona's big mistake, which I wrote about in this column. The Daytona track has been heavily promoting a $400-million renovation, but what it has not done is cover all its walls with technology that is proven to make drivers safer. That is inexcusable and incomprehensible. Daytona Speedway president Joie Chitwood III said Saturday night that his track would change that for future events and cover every inch of its inside and outside walls with SAFER barriers.

"The Daytona International Speedway did not live up to its responsibility today," Chitwood said. "We should have had a SAFER barrier there today. We did not. We're going to fix that. We're going to fix that right now."

Busch hit an unprotected wall head-first Saturday night in an Xfinity Series race and broke multiple bones due to the impact. He may be out for many weeks.

Where Busch hit the wall was not too far from where Kevin Harvick had banged into the wall in the 2014 Daytona 500 -- also hitting an unprotected wall. Harvick's complaints went mostly unnoticed afterward.

As Harvick said Sunday of Daytona's decision to put SAFER walls everywhere after Busch's wreck: "I think it's a reaction from the track, unfortunately. I hit the same wall a little further up last year at this particular race and kind of voiced my opinion. Unfortunately, I was just a dot on the chart. There was no reaction. Now there is a reaction from the race track. Hopefully, this is a lesson learned."

The barriers are expensive, at a reported cost of $500 per square foot. That means it can cost $2.6 million to install a mile's worth of the SAFER barriers. Tracks throughout NASCAR's top series must install them at least in the corners. But NASCAR does not make tracks line its walls with SAFER barriers on both the inside and outside walls, and only a few of the shorter ones do.

Charlotte Motor Speedway has a chance to get in front of this issue. No matter the cost, the Speedway needs to pony up. Put the SAFER walls everywhere, before someone else gets badly hurt.